ZmELF6-ZmPRR37 module regulates maize flowering and salt response.

The control of flowering time in maize is crucial for reproductive success and yield, and it can be influenced by environmental stresses. Using the approaches of Ac/Ds transposon and transposable element amplicon sequencing techniques, we identified a Ds insertion mutant in the ZmPRR37 gene. The Ds insertion showed a significant correlation with days to anthesis. Further research indicated that ZmPRR37-CR knockout mutants exhibited early flowering, whereas ZmPRR37-overexpression lines displayed delayed flowering compared to WT under long-day (LD) conditions. We demonstrated that ZmPRR37 repressed the expression of ZmNF-YC2 and ZmNF-YA3 to delay flowering. Association analysis revealed a significant correlation between flowering time and a SNP2071-C/T located upstream of ZmPRR37. The SNP2071-C/T impacted the binding capacity of ZmELF6 to the promoter of ZmPRR37. ZmELF6 also acted as a flowering suppressor in maize under LD conditions. Notably, our study unveiled that ZmPRR37 can enhance salt stress tolerance in maize by directly regulating the expression of ABA-responsive gene ZmDhn1. ZmDhn1 negatively regulated maize salt stress resistance. In summary, our findings proposed a novel pathway for regulating photoperiodic flowering and responding to salt stress based on ZmPRR37 in maize, providing novel insights into the integration of abiotic stress signals into floral pathways.

The relationship between positive workplace gossip and job satisfaction: The mediating role of job insecurity and organizational identity.

From the perspective of social information processing theory and social identity theory, 1,267 employees were selected as the subjects, and the data were statistically analyzed by using Mplus8.0 and SPSS25.0 to explore the relationship between positive workplace gossip and job satisfaction and the role of job insecurity and organizational identity in this relationship. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between positive workplace gossip and job satisfaction. Furthermore, job insecurity and organizational identity independently mediated the relationship between positive workplace gossip and employee job satisfaction. In addition, job insecurity and organizational identity played a serial mediating role in the relationship between positive workplace gossip and job satisfaction. The results of the study shed light on how job insecurity and organizational identity were associated with the process of the positive workplace gossip-job satisfaction relationship. Based on the findings, implications and avenues for future research were discussed.

ZmDWF1 regulates leaf angle in maize.

Leaf angle (LA) is a critical agronomic trait enhancing grain yield under high-density planting in maize. A number of researches have been conducted in recent years to investigate the quantitative trait loci/genes responsible for LA variation, while only a few genes were identified through map-based cloning. Here we cloned the ZmDWF1 gene, which was previously reported to encode Δ24-sterol reductase in the brassinosteroids (BRs) biosynthesis pathway. Overexpression of ZmDWF1 resulted in enlarged LA, indicating that ZmDWF1 is a positive regulator of LA in maize. To reveal the regulatory framework of ZmDWF1, we conducted RNA-Sequencing and yeast-two hybrid (Y2H) screening analysis. RNA-Sequencing analyzing results indicate ZmDWF1 mainly affected expression level of genes involved in cell wall associated metabolism and hormone metabolism including BR, gibberellin, and auxin. Y2H screening with Bi-FC assay confirmed three proteins (ZmPP2C-1, ZmROF1, and ZmTWD1) interacting with ZmDWF1. We revealed a new regulatory network of ZmDWF1 gene in controlling plant architecture in maize.

A Nucleoporin NUP58 modulates responses to drought and salt stress in maize (Zea mays L.).

Nuclear pore complex (NUP) is the main transport channel between cytoplasm and nucleoplasm, which plays an important role in stress response. The function of NUPs was widely reported in yeast and vertebrate but rarely in plants. Here, we identified a nuclear pore complex (ZmNUP58), that is tightly associated with drought and salt tolerance phenotype accompanied with phenotypic and physiological changes under drought and salt stress. The overexpression of ZmNUP58 in maize (Zea mays L.) significantly promotes both chlorophyll content and activities of antioxidant enzymes under drought- and salt-stressed conditions. RNA-Seq analysis showed that ZmNUP58 could regulate the expression of genes related to phytohormone synthesis and signaling, osmotic adjustment substances, antioxidant enzyme system, cell wall biosynthesis, glucose metabolism and aquaporin. The results provide novel insights into the regulatory role of ZmNUP58 in improving drought and salt tolerance through regulating phytohormone and other stress response genes in maize.

Effects of Antimony Stress on Photosynthesis and Growth of Acorus calamus.

This study was aimed to explore that effects of Sb on physiological parameters of Acorus calamus and the possibility of using A. calamus as a remediation plant. A. calamus potted experiments were conducted using different concentrations (0, 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) of antimony potassium tartrate (Sb3+) (marked as CK, T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively) and potassium pyroantimonate (Sb5+) (marked as CK, T'1, T'2, T'3, and T'4, respectively). The effects of Sb stress (Sb3+ and Sb5+) on leaf photosynthetic pigments, biomass, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of potted A. calamus were studied. With the rise of Sb3+ concentration from T1 to T4, the leaf pigment contents (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid), plant height, dry weight, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), evaporation rate (E), PSII maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and PSII electron transfer quantum yield rate (ΦPSII) of A. calamus all reduced, while intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) significantly increased. The reduction of Pn was mainly induced by non-stomatal limitation. Chlorophyll a/b ratio increased significantly versus the control, while carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) first decreased and then increased. The leaf Chl a, Chl b, Car, plant height, dry weight, Pn, Gs, E, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII all maximized in T'1 (250 mg/kg), but were not significantly different from the control. As the Sb5+ concentration increased from T'2 to T'4, the above indices all decreased and were significantly different from the control. Moreover, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased significantly. The reduction of Pn was caused by non-stomatal limitation, indicating the mesophyll cells were damaged. The Car/Chl ratio was stable within 0-500 mg/kg Sb, but decreased in T3 and T4, and rose in T'3 and T'4. After Sb3+ and Sb5+ treatments, translocation factor varied 19.44-27.8 and 19.44-24.86%, respectively. In conclusion, different form Sb3+ treatment, Sb5+ treatment showed a Hormesi effect, as low-concentration treatment promoted A. calamus growth, but high-concentration treatment inhibited its growth. The two forms of Sb both caused unfavorable effects on A. calamus, but the seedlings did not die and were modestly adaptive and Sb-accumulative. A. calamus, which is easily maintained and cultivated, can serve as a good candidate for phytoremediation of water contaminated with Sb.

Effects of Different Ratios of Sewage Sludge and Cattle Manure on Growth and Propagation of Eisenia Fetida.

Domestic sewage sludge and cattle manure are rich in nutrition elements, but without proper disposal, are harmful to the environment. Here with an indoor culture method, we used Eisenia fetida to dispose different ratios of sewage sludge and cattle manure, and thereby investigated the effects and acting rules of these sludge-manure mixtures on the growth and reproduction of E. fetida. We find these mixtures are food sources for E. fetida, and their physiochemical properties are significantly changed after disposal by earthworms. Paired samples t-test shows the average change after different treatments is -20.37% for total organic carbon, 85.71% for total Kjeldahl N, -6.67% for total P, 8.33% for pH, -24.78% for EC (ms·cm-1), and -57.10% for C/N ratio. The average growth rate after treatment CD-70 is 9.20 mg·worm-1·day-1; the average growth rates of E. fetida on day 0-28, day 29-56, and day 57-91 are 9.33, 11.90 and 6.95 mg·worm-1·day-1, respectively, indicating a trend of "rapid-rapidest-slow" growth. Other treatments all show this trend. Though all earthworms developed reproductive rings during the test periods, the appearing time and the cocoon production time both differed among these treatments. The cocoon production amount is maximized to 233 after treatment CD-70. The cocoon production rates are significantly different among these treatments, and the maximum and mean are 0.32 and 0.17-0.32, cocoons·worm-1· day-1, respectively. E. fetida can modestly enrich Cd, but is not very effective over Sb or other heavy metals. E. fetida can remove a part of heavy metals from sewage sludge and cattle manure. Generally, the mixtures of sewage sludge and cattle manure can largely affect the growth and propagation of E. fetida in a ratio-dependent way.

Residents health risk of Pb, Cd and Cu exposure to street dust based on different particle sizes around zinc smelting plant, Northeast of China.

The residents health risk of Pb, Cd and Cu exposure to street dust with different particle sizes (<100 and <63 µm) near Huludao Zinc Plant (HZP) was investigated in this study. The average concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cu in the <100-µm and <63-µm dust were 1,559, 178.5, 917.9 and 2,099, 198.4, 1,038 mg kg(-1), respectively. It showed that smaller particles tended to contain higher element concentrations. Metals in dust around HZP decreased gradually from the zinc smelter to west and east directions. There was significantly positive correlation among Pb, Cd and Cu in street dust with different particle sizes. The contents of Pb, Cd and Cu in dust increased with decreasing pH or increasing organic matter. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment showed that the health index (HI) for children and adult exposed to <63-µm particles were higher than exposed to <100-µm particles, which indicated that smaller particles tend to have higher non-carcinogenic health risk. Non-carcinogenic risk of Pb was the highest in both particle sizes, followed by Cd and Cu. HI for Pb and Cd in both particle sizes for children had exceeded the acceptable value, indicated that children living around HZP were experiencing the non-carcinogenic health risk from Pb and Cd exposure to street dust.

Multivariate and geostatistical analyses of the spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals in agricultural soil in Dehui, Northeast China.

The characterization of the content and source of heavy metals in soils are necessary to establish quality standards on a regional level and to assess the potential threat of metals to food safety and human health. The surface horizons of 114 agricultural soils in Dehui, a representative agricultural area in the black soil region, Northeast China, were collected and the concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb were analyzed. The mean values of the heavy metals were 49.7 ± 7.04, 20.8 ± 3.06, 18.9 ± 8.51, 58.9 ± 7.16, and 35.4 ± 9.18 mg kg(-1) for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb, respectively. Anthropic activities caused an enrichment of Cu and Pb in soils. However, metal concentrations in all samples did not exceed the guideline values of Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils. Multivariate and geostatistical analyses suggested that soil Cr, Ni, and Zn had a lithogenic origin. Whereas, the elevated Cu concentrations in the study area were associated with industrial and agronomic practices, and the main sources of Pb were industrial fume, coal burning exhausts, and domestic waste. Source identification of heavy metals in agricultural soil is a basis for undertaking appropriate action to reduce metal inputs.

[Spatial distribution and environmental risk of As and Pb from street dust in non-ferrous metals smelting areas].

ArcGIS analysis was applied to study the content level and the spatial distribution characteristics of As and Pb in street dust of Huludao city. Geoaccumulation Indexes and Potential Ecological Risk Index technique were applied to assess the ecological risk of As and Ph. The average contents of As and Pb were 33.10 mg x kg(-1) and 533.2 mg x kg(-1), which was 4 and 25 times as high as the background value respectively. The trends for Pb and As were similar with higher concentrations near Huludao Zinc Plant (HZP). The ecological risk of As and Pb contamination in street dust were serious, and the accumulation of Pb in street dust was higher than the As.